Back in early 2020 I received a book contract from Annie’s Publishers, a direct-to-consumer book club publisher. I love Annie’s. My editors there have been awesome and amazing, and I’ve published more than 10 books with Annie’s. Anyway, my editor said they were considering launching a book club mystery series set in Ireland. The main character would be a woman born in Ireland and moved to the states when she was less than 10 yrs old. She goes back to Ireland when her business fails, to reconnect with her Irish family and find her new life. They wanted to know if I was interested/.

Why…yes! Yes, I was interested!

My maiden name is Patrick, and my family is very proud of our Irish heritage. And you know I love mysteries! So I was eager to write a few books in that series. But remember the time…2020. As soon as I signed a contract to write three books in the Irish Tea Room Mystery Series, I tried to book a trip to Ireland. Nope. COVID shut down the borders. ARGH!

I had been to Ireland, but only briefly. So I had to do all the research via the Internet. Which I hate. I want to be there in person, to experience what my characters experience, and to describe the settings believably. Still, I did all the research I could. Internet. Interviewing Irish residents. Writers who’ve written Ireland-based books. Irish-Americans. And I wrote three awesome and amazing books (blushing!) about a young woman born in Ireland, who moved to the US when she was very young, and who goes back to Ireland after a personal disaster in the states only to find…her future! (More to come on these books…)

Then this year I found the opportunity to visit Ireland personally. It was an amazing experience, and I lived it with some awesome new friends.

Here are a few pictures of my epic trip to Ireland to research and take promotion pics for my upcoming Irish series. STAY TUNED FOR MORE~!’